


Letting Her Get to You

by InsominiacArrest



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Comfort, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 08:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6276388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsominiacArrest/pseuds/InsominiacArrest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Judy and Nick meet as kids</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letting Her Get to You

Judy knew it was late, her mom told her the sun would be setting earlier and earlier, so she should come home quick.

 

But cops patrolled the streets right? That’s how they kept everyone safe.

 

Judy hopped from line to line on the concrete sidewalk, moving her way up the hill and towards some lit buildings and back streets. She darts towards a dark alley, the perfect backdrop for her crime fighting.

 

“Freeze scum!” She cried as she whipped around a corner with a pretend tazer, buzzing it until satisfied then hopping in a pretend car. “Wee-woo, wee-woo.” She hits the imaginary pedal of her cop car and speeds down the alley in hot pursuit.

 

“There’s no escape!” She declares to her culprits as she approached the dead-end of the alley.

 

“Pew, pew.” She shoots tranquilizer darts into the thin air. That’s when she hears the whimpers, high pitched and thin in the empty dark.

 

Judy’s eyes go wide and she looks around slowly, lowering her hands, “hello?” Her voice carries through the air, the whimpers come faint and feeble.

 

Her nose twitches, she raises her ears and she scans the dumpster and boxes stacked in the corner of the backstreet. “Is someone here? Are you okay?”

 

The whimpering goes silent, she stands up straighter, “I can help you!”

 

Judy begins to investigate, zipping around the boxes and then towards the other side of the dumpster, coming out the other side to find a mammal wrapped up on itself on the steps of a backdoor.

 

Judy’s ears lay flat on her head, she takes a deep breath and hops forward, “hold on, I'm coming over.” She informs and that’s when they lift their head.

 

She freezes mid-step, the animal had a muzzle strapped across its mouth, holding it's jaw shut and two large green eyes soft with moisture.

 

And he was also a fox. Judy touches her cheek from where the scratches were still healing from Gideon Grey.

 

When she doesn't move he turns his back on her and hunches over, still struggling to get the muzzle off his face.

 

Judy shakes her head, stands up straighter and strides over, police officers didn't decide who to help and who not to, “I can help.” She says steadily.

 

He turns back to her, eyes still watery orbs and face painfully squished into the contraption. He backs up, but she steps forward.

 

She put her paw out, “I’m going to police officer.” She announces.

 

His eyes dart around, and he wipes his face, then shakes his head.

 

“Really!” She declares, “and that looks like it’s on tight.”

 

He lowers his head and tugs at the scarf around his neck, clothes dirty from the ground, “who ever did this is awful!” Judy was starting to get mad, “let me help you.”

 

He edges a little closer, mumbling something into the mask but unable to speak.

 

She reaches gently forward, “that’s it.” He turns his head slightly and she gets her paws on the back of the restraints, it’s held together by a small padlock on the back.

 

She yanks at it in every which direction, “ugh!” She struggles with the metal, bending it ever so slightly under her paws. “Hold still. I’m gonna slip it off.”

 

‘Slip’ was a nice word for it, mostly she was going to tug it over his head while widening the straps. It hurt her fingers, but Judy wasn’t one to complain.

 

She bends backwards and pulls with all her might, “oof!” She falls backwards as the muzzle comes gliding off.

 

She falls on her tail and the fox rubs his jaw while concentrating on the ground. “Woo!” Judy celebrates and holds up the muzzle triumphantly, “that was tough.”

 

He turns back to her and eyes drift to the contraption she held in the air, he grabs it, eyes narrowing. He looks at for moment before chucking it at the wall with a brief wordless scream. "Ah!"

It clatters against the wall and then falls into the dark of the alley.

 

The fox is breathing heavily and his small chest is puffing in and out.

 

Judy blinks at him before getting back up again, her eyebrows knit together, “are you alright?” She finally asks as they stand in the still night.

 

“Leave me," he sniffs, "alone.” He shrugs her off, and seems to turn to leave, “but thank you.” It was a begrudging sentiment.

 

“My pleasure!” She twitches her nose and jumps forward a little, “to protect and serve.” She says sentimentally, “that’s my job, or,” she makes a face, “it’s going to be.”

 

The foxes shoulders droop, “that’s great.”

 

“What’s your name?” She asks as he starts to stalk off and she follows him.  
  
“Nick.” He says shortly.

 

“I’m Judy.” She expresses and watches his face carefully.

 

He frowns and meets her eye, “I would say nice to meet you...but this isn’t a great time.”

 

Judy lies her ears flat, “who did that to you? We should turn them in!”

 

Nick shakes his head, “we can’t.” He kicks a can on the street, “my mom can’t know,” he seems to fall apart with every step, “she saved up so much for this.” He tore the red scarf off his neck.

 

“Please,” Judy frowns, “tell me what happened.”

 

His shoulders shake, “I just wanted to be junior ranger scout.” It was the wail of very young mammal. "I just wanted to be a junior scout." He repeats over and over until his voice is so thick with emotion it trails off.

 

Judy doesn’t completely know what to do.

 

“You can. You _can_ be a scout.” she tries to reassure, “anyone can be anything!” That’s the mantra she lived by.

 

“Not right now bunny.” He shrugs her off again, turning another corner as he walks in the opposite direction of Judy’s house. She follows him anyway.

“I promise.” She whispers, “it’s true. I’m going to be a police officer. You can be anything.”  
  
He shakes his head, “I’ll believe that when I see it.” He glares at the ground, “prey is just prey and predators are just predators.”

 

Judy reaches for his paw, “you can’t really believe that.”  
  
He turns to her slowly, eyes round and frightened.

 

“Why don’t we be junior ranger scouts together?" She proposes, "They don’t let girls in anyway.”

 

A slight smile plays on his small face, “I don’t know… There’s a lot of rules to being a scout.”

 

“I love rules!” She declares, and she walks him home, the indents of the muzzle don’t go away but his eyes don’t cringe at her every move, and Judy doesn’t glance at his claws at every corner.

She follows him home, and he starts to ask her to go on 'scout trips.' They agree to move to Zootopia as they get older, where anyone could be anything.

  
No one stops talking about their friendship later that year, 'a fox and a bunny?' 'have you ever...', 'their parents must be so upset...' but no one stops them either, or at least, they don't let them.


End file.
